Menu

Category Archives: Reviews

Today’s post is just a quick swatcharama and first impressions sort of post. I think this is one of the very few if not only post without my face plastered all over it but I wanted to quickly talk about this awesome ‘bronzer wardrobe’ I got last week before I started using it! The brand Too Faced is known for their bronzers especially the chocolate soleil range and what’s crazy is that I didn’t own a Too Faced bronzer! I had my eye on the Chocolate Soleil for ages now. The city I live in don’t have a Kit Cosmetics or Mecca Maxima (which sell Too Faced in Oz) but everytime I went past a Kit Cosmetics in Melbourne or Sydney, I stopped and swatched the bronzer. For some reason though, I’ll always get distracted and not end up buying it. So when I saw Too Faced came out with this LIMITED EDITION Little Black Book of Bronzers (49 USD/ 65 AUD) featuring mini sizes of 8 of their bronzers, I totally freaked! I had to have it! I think it’s a really cool way for people to try out some of Too Faced’s iconic bronzers and if they get hooked on a particular one (or few) they can go buy a full size. For a medium skin toned gal like me, I think this bronzer wardrobe provides quite a few options from contouring to bronzing to getting the glow! I think light skin toned ladies will love it also but unfortunately deeper skin tones might not find something suitable in this collection. Can we talk about the packaging though?!! So cute!! And it also comes with this adorable weekly guide to which bronzer is appropriate for what day of the week and what event!

Each bronzer contains 0.08 oz of product which is quite small compared to the 0.35 oz of product on the full size bronzers. I still think it’s a fabulous buy because you get to try so many different types of bronzers in one go! And did I mention, they smell divine! Especially the Chocolate Soleil range! They actually smell like chocolate! YUM!

SWATCHES:

Milk Chocolate Soleil:

A lighter version of Chocolate Soleil (cult fave) that creates a more subtle, all-over warmth, perfect for those with lighter skin tones (according to Too Faced). As you can see, this one barely showed up on my skin. I think I can use as a all over powder with a big fluffy brush to slightly warm up my skin but this one’s great for the fairer dames out there!

Chocolate Soleil:

Antioxidant-rich, cocoa powder-infused matte bronzer that works on all skin tones, perfect for everyday contouring and creating an all-over deep tan (according to Too Faced). I agree with them when they say, it’s perfect for contouring because it has a slightly grey undertone to it. It does not pull too warm or too cool and I think it’s a great contour for light-medium-tan skin tones. I’m not too sure about the ‘working on all skin tones’ bit though!

Dark Chocolate Soleil (NEW):

A darker version of Chocolate Soleil that’s perfect for more sculpted contouring, creating a more dramatic, deep matte bronzed look(according to Too Faced). I found this one quite warm and I think tanner girls with warm tones can use it for contouring. I personally will use it for bronzing and warming up the face in conjunction with my contour.

Snow Bunny:

Four luminous shades blend together for just the right amount of sun-kissed, natural radiance. I actually quite liked it when swatching (according to Too Faced). It can be a really nice bronzy gold highlight for me though it is quite shimmery. I think deeper skin tones will like it as a nice goldy highlight.

Pink Leopard:

Trio of skin-brightening and bronzing pigments that combine for a glorious all-over glow (according to Too Faced). I think this one is a really nice pinky bronze that can be used as a highlight as well and I don’t think I have any shade quite like it in my collection. I’m excited to try this one!

Beach Bunny:

Custom-blend bronzer combines four sun kissed shades for a skin perfecting, summertime tan any time of year (according to Too Faced). It’s quite similar to Snow Bunny, a little less pink and more bronzy. It’s great to achieve a nice bronzy glow on tanned skin during the summer – that epic bronzed beach babe look!

Endless Summer:

Stay all day universal bronzer creates a lit-from-within bronzed glow that lasts 16-hours or more (according to Too Faced). This bronzer has a satin finish but it’s not shimmery like some of the others but not totally matte like the soleil range. I think it will provide a bit more dimension to the face rather than completely falling matte. Not at all an universal color though.

Sun Bunny:

Original bronzer features slight pink undertone in the dual shade palette that mimics the flush of a real tan (according to Too Faced). I think just like the Beach Bunny, this one will be great to achieve that bronzed bombshell look giving a warm radiant glow as the sun hits your face!

So there you go ladies, my first impressions of all 8 bronzers included in this kit! I totally recommend this especially if you have been wanting to try out a new bronzer or were unsure of which Too Faced bronzer you should buy! But Hurry, it’s limited edition!!!!

Today I’ll be swatching some of the lipsticks from Gerard Cosmetics ($19). I own 5 shades: French Toast, Berry Smoothie, Underground, 1995 and Cherry Cordial. Before we get on to the swatches, can we just talk about that packaging! These gold tubes are just beautiful and so classy! Brownie points to Gerard Cosmetics for coming up with such rad packaging! Read till the end for a coupon code!

Processed with Moldiv

FRENCH TOAST:

An earthy brown shade, reminds me of fall. It has a creamy finish so it leaves sort of a sheen on the lips. To make it matte though you can just dab your lips with some tissue. It’s pretty comfortable to wear but since it’s a creamy finish, it has a weak lasting power and transfers easily.

BERRY SMOOTHIE:

A medium pink shade with subtle mauve undertones. It’s a very pretty everyday shade. It also has a creamy finish and therefore staying power is weak. Pretty comfortable to wear.

UNDERGROUND:

It’s a grey toned brown with a hint of lavender/pink. Grey lipsticks have been all the rave lately and in my opinion Underground is one of the more wearable ones. SInce it has lavender undertones, it does not look too bad on my tan skin. It has more of a satin finish and therefore doesn’t leave too much of a sheen. I will recommend getting rid of any pigmentation on your lips with foundation or concealer before applying this shade.

1995:

It is a brown lipstick with mauve undertones inspired by the 90’s brown lip. This lipstick was made in collaboration with youtuber Jaclyn Hill (love her!) and I think is the perfect addition to the brown lip trend brought back by Kylie Jenner ofcourse! I love this lipstick, I wear it to death and it’s my favorite of all the ones I own from Gerard Cosmetics. It’s a matte so it can be a bit drying. Staying power is a bit better than the others but I still have to reapply throughout the day.

CHERRY CORDIAL

It’s a dark berry shade. I was a bit disappointed with this in terms of pigmentation. You have to apply it or swatch it a few times to get an intense pay off and it can go on a bit patchy. It is a semi-matte/satin finish.

FRENCH TOAST VS 1995:

I thought I should do a side by side of French Toast and 1995 since at first glance they look quite similar. From the pictures you can see that French Toast is a lot warmer and peachy toned whereas 1995 is darker and more mauve toned.

So this concludes my swatcharama of the Gerard Cosmetics lippies! They can seem a bit pricey at $19 but I always buy them at cheaper prices because they are always having amazing sales. Right now they are having a 4th of July sale where you can get 4 lippies for only $38 and free worldwide shipping! That’s less than $10 each! Coupon code: 4thpack

So this morning just before I left for work, the mailman arrived and brought me these goodies. I bought two of the LA Splash Lip Coutures and two of the Smitten LipTints (13.98 USD). They are all sort of on the nude, brown, mauve family. Since the whole Kylie Jenner 90’s lip trend started, all I can think about are these shades! And there’s a grey one aswell!

Before I get on with the swatches, let me talk about the differences between the two. So obviously these are liquid lipsticks. Formula-wise, there is a very subtle difference. I felt the Liptint Mousse were a little bit thicker like a mousse (hence the name) and the Lip Coutures were a bit more liquidy. It’s very subtle, hardly noticeable. They are both very pigmented and dries matte. I did notice the Liptints were a bit harder to take off. They can be very drying on the lips so your lips have to be very well exfoliated and moisturised. They are very longlasting. I wore Lovegood today for about 6 hours and it didn’t feather much.

They do have a odd smell. Almost unbearable! Sort of like bug spray I try to hold my breath while applying the product but once it’s on your lips the smell goes away.

The wands/applicators are different aswell. The Lip Coutures have a slimmer more elongated tip while the Liptint Mousse have a more traditional doe – foot applicator. Surprisingly I like the elongated one better. I find it’s easier to carve out my lips with the elongated shape.

If I had to choose my favorite shade I’ll say Latte Confession. I think it’s super wearable and I see myself wearing it a lot. I love both Lovegood and Nymph-adora aswell. My least favorite is OG Ghoulish. I initially wanted to buy the normal Ghoulish but they were out of stock. That one has a pinker more mauve tone to the taupe color whereas this one is a lot more grey.

Overall I really like them. The formula is a bit drying but they are very long lasting. Also if you can get past the smell, then they are a pretty good buy. The color range is amazing aswell. I can’t wait to get some more shades!!

I was playing with makeup at 1 am in the morning (yes I’m an insomniac and clearly makeup’s my therapy!) and I had the bright idea of posting some swatches just before going to bed because I love these eyeshadows soooo much! If you follow me on instagram (and if you don’t go do that right now!! Username’s “bunniesan”), you probably saw a photo of a lovely package of goodies by Colourpop Cosmetics, a birthday pressie from my bestie (she understands me! ) There were six pressed pigments (they are a cross between a pigment, cream eyeshadow, and normal eyeshadow!) in there and let me tell you, I’m head over heels for each and every one of them. They are soooo buttery and creamy and almost feels wet to the touch. They glide on beautifully, and are super pigmented and sparkly! And the best part is, they are only 5 bucks (USD) a pop ! You can’t beat that! You can find them at : https://colourpop.com/

Forgive me for this shabby picture but I’ve already swatched and reswatched these shadows millions of times so the emboss is pretty much non existent now

~3 : A cool-toned starlit bronze with a flash of silvery and multi-coloured glitter

~Sequin : A copper penny like shade with silver and gold glitter

~Game Face: An intense penny copper with a liquid like ultra-metallic finish

*All Description from Colourpop Cosmetics website

Under Yellow Light (Left to Right) : So Quiche, BAE, and On the Rocks

Under White Light

~You can see the glitters lot better under the yellow light but under the white light, the blue glitters in Bae stand out a lot more against the purple. If you want the blue stand out, you need to use a blue base underneath 🙂

Under Yellow Light (Left to Right): 3, Sequin, Game Face

Under White Light

Unfortunately the white light washed out the intensity of the colors so it’s definitely more accurate under the yellow light. I wasn’t able to use natural light since it’s night time 😦

I’ve already done two back to back looks using BAE and Sequin. Check out those posts if you like to see these shadows in action. Linking them down below along with some photos!

So the weather change has really gotten to me and now I’m sick at home, bored and lonely Really wasn’t feeling like putting any makeup on my face so thought it’s about time I actually do a monthly favorites post! I think of doing this every month but I never get around to do it but here I am today!

MAKEUP!

LORAC PRO PALETTE: this palette has been around for awhile now and has been one of the most hyped palettes ever. Unfortunately you can’t get it here in Oz…I went above and beyond to get my hands on this….more like my Aunt in Canada did….cuz it was sold out in all the sephoras! Anyway it’s been over a year that I had this but this past month I’ve been reaching for it soo much! 16 eyeshadows- 8 matte and 8 shimmery….all neutral shades, very buttery and pigmented…a little powdery in my opinion but overall a perfect a go to palette especially since the packaging is so thin! Really convenient to travel with!

HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER IN DIM LIGHT: I’ve got the limited edition palette that actually has three shades but the Dim Light is a permanent product….and its AMAZEBALLS! Seriously when you apply it after your foundation and concealer, it just finishes your makeup so nicely…kinda like blurs imperfections and makes your skin look flawless and glowing from within…it’s just beautiful…can’t describe it….you gotta try this first hand!

L”OREAL NUDE MAGIQUE EAU DE TEINT: new product to hit the Australian drugstores….it’s a really nice lightweight foundation …very liquidy but very easy to use…it has a silicony feeling to it and its just melts into your skin….it’s a really nice texture…it’s recommended to use your hands to apply which works fine and is very quick but I feel when I use a buffing brush (Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) I can get more coverage.

REAL TECHNIQUES MIRACLE COMPLEXION SPONGE: I love this sponge! It’s a close dupe to the beauty blender in less than half the price….I haven’t really closely compared the two sponges but all I know that I love this sponge…the shape of it is amazing and it applies foundation flawlessly.

BOURJOIS BEAUTY FULL VOLUME MASCARA: omg this mascara has become holy grail! Shout out to my friend Farah for recommending this! It creates so much volume to my wimpy lashes…it’s quite unbelievable! The wand is quite standard nothing to fancy but I think that’s what works best!

NYX BLUSH IN PINKY: just a nice pinky rose color…its not entirely matte has a slight sheen to it when you swatch it but on the face it looks matte….just a good everyday blush that I’ve been using a lot especially for work.

MAC SIMMER BLUSH LE: it’s a limited edition blush from the MAC Tropical Taboo collection so I was a bit hesitant to include this but I’ve been using it a lot this month…it’s quite similar to NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat maybe slightly darker.

MAC GEM OF ROSES LIPSTICK LE: another limited edition product from way back…..but I love this lipstick…my go to lipstick for work…a really nice rosy nude with a lustre finish

SKIN AND HAIR

CETAPHIL GENTLE SKIN CLEANSER: so this one’s for all skin types and it lives up to its name…it’s a very gentle cleanser…it doesn’t lather up or anything but don’t be fooled by that…it actually cleans very well but of course don’t expect to clean off all your makeup…it works best after you’ve actually taken off your makeup.

CETAPHIL MOISTURISING CREAM FOR DRY SENSITIVE SKIN: I’ve also been loving this moisturiser…I’ve got very dry skin and it just gets dryer with the change in weather but this product has really kept my skin hydrated…I also moisturise my hands with it aswell…it’s a very good moisturiser and it’s not greasy or sticky at all…LOVEEE IT!

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER: okay so this is apparently the drugstore dupe for Bioderma which I’ve never tried because it’s super expensive…so when this came out I wanted to give it a shot and I really like it. It’s pretty good at removing all my makeup…definitely needs a bit more when it comes to removing mascara and the thicker foundations i.e. Estee Lauder Double Wear but for the price it’s pretty good…I think its about 12 bucks for the 400 ml bottle compared to Bioderma which is about 40 bucks for a 500 ml bottle.

SCHWARZKOPF (yes I had to stop and check the spelling a couple of times) EXTRA CARE NORMAL BALANCE LEAVE IN TREATMENT: i really like this product for its price. Again shout out to my friend Monica for recommending this…it makes my hair very soft…I use it right after I shower on wet hair and my hairs feels really soft after its dry….pretty good and it’s just 7 bucks!

TONI & GUY NOURISH RECONSTRUCTION MASK: this is actually a really hydrating mask for your hair…It’s a creamy texture and smells pretty good….I do go a little overboard with it because my hair’s just soooo dry it’s like the Sahara! I just leave it on for 5 minutes after I shampoo my hair and then rinse off…and it works quite nicely…again good for the price!

After all that rambling I’ve finally managed to reach the end of this post…I did wanted to include some miscellaneous favorites but I’m sure you’ve had enough by now so until next time! XO XO

As promised, I’m back with a review of the Models Prefer Infinite Colour Eye Pencils. I used three of the colours on my last post so feel free to scroll down and check that out! And let me just say, I LOVE THESE PENCILS! Seriously, all this time I’ve walked right past the Models Prefer display at Priceline and never thought of giving this brand a chance! It’s Priceline’s own brand and I’m impressed! These liners are the boss. They retail for $8.99 but they are worth every penny. Easily comparable to higher end brands like Urban Decay. They are extremely pigmented, super smooth but still firm enough not to break on application. The best part is that they dry quickly and does not smudge at all! On my last look, I used one of them to make a winged liner and it stayed on all day and did NOT transfer to my lids! Throughout the day, the color didn’t stay as vibrant but that’s just a very minor concern. They are waterproof as they say and stay in the waterline pretty well too! The color selection is to die for aswell! They offer 12 beautiful shades and I bought 6 of them. Check out the swatches below!

From Left to Right:

Blue Lagoon: my favorite of the bunch! Such a rich shimmery royal blue shade! LOVE IT!

Teal Maybe: if you ask me, a teal eye pencil is a must in everyone’s collection. Teal looks amazing on the waterline or on the bottom lash line just to add that beautiful pop of color during spring and summer!

Lime Tart: love the name and love the color! I don’t own anything similar to this color so I had to have it!

Gold Star: beautiful gold shade, just amazing for the waterline or as a inner corner highlight!

Nude Appeal: the photo could not capture the true essence of this color. In reality, this is a softer champagne shade and again a staple for everyone! Perfect for the waterline!

Silver Lining: a really nice silvery charcoal, great for cool smokey eyes. I’ve actually used it on a look I posted a couple of days back.

*None of these shades are matte….they are all beautiful shimmery shades…I’m inclined to say most of the shades in the collection are shimmery except for maybe Brown Suede and Black Cat (which has tiny flecks of shimmers) but I may be totally wrong so don’t quote me on that ! LOL ^_^

Overall, I”m in love and I’ve never expected this brand to produce such great quality products. I’m definitely keen to try more stuff from Models Prefer. Kudos to Priceline for creating such a great line! I urge everyone who can get their hands on these eyeliners to try them out!

I finally got some time off everything and I couldn’t delay on a post any longer! I’m no fan of Nicki Minaj but I’m in love with her perfumes! Now word of caution for you guys who don’t like sweet fruity/floral scents: this is not for you…but I on the other hand am all for fruity and florals! Some people hate the bottles and I will admit they are very inconvenient especially the HUGE head! I don’t necessary find them tacky looking though…i just think they are fun and just nice to have in your perfume collection. So today I’m reviewing Pink Friday (original) which came out a while ago followed by two different special/exclusive editions (smells almost identical)…and I’m also reviewing Minajesty which just came out very recently. I got it today but I’ve been smelling it in store from last week….so let’s get started:

PINK FRIDAY (eau de parfum/100 ml/ AU$89)

TOP NOTES

Carambola (Star Fruit)/Italian Mandarin/Blackberry

MIDDLE NOTES

Lotus/Star Jasmine

BASE NOTES

Musk/Vanilla/Wood/Pear/Caramel

For me, the Caramel and Italian Mandarin notes really stand out at first and as it settles down the Jasmine notes come through…together its just a really nice combination with a bit of floral, fruity, and toffee scents yet quite soft and not in your face sweet. It does have a slight muskiness to it which is great because you can wear this perfume both during the day and night. Longevity and Sillage is very mediocre, which I feel is the case for most of the celebrity perfumes.

MINAJESTY (eau de parfum/50ml/AU$59)

TOP NOTES

Red Berries/Lemon/Peach

MIDDLE NOTES

Magnolia/Frangipani/Orchid

BASE NOTES

Tonka Bean/Vanilla/Musk

At first whiff its like a burst of tropical fruits! I find the dominant scent is of passionfruit and pears yet there’s no passionfruit in it so it must be something else. It also has a citrusy smell mixed with the fruitiness. I could properly sense the transition of notes in this perfume. It moves onto the floral notes but quickly changes to a creamy scent that I’m guessing is coming from the vanilla and tonka beans. The fruitiness is constant but it just smells yummier when the vanilla and tonka beans come out. This is a full on summery day time scent! Just reminds of sipping a fruity cocktail in a tropical island! Longevity and Sillage is still pretty mediocre which lets both the perfumes down.

Overall I’ll rate both the perfumes 3/5 – even though I’m in love with the scents…the longevity and sillage is not good at all considering that they are both eau de parfums. Yet I will say they do fall under my favorites especially for summer (its summer in AU!!)